Member Profile

Ms Karabo Born is the Project Manager of the National HIV Think Tank Project. She has worked as a QC Microbiologist for Adcock Ingram and ventured off as a Food Safety & Hygiene Auditor form 2008 – 2013. Her passion for health programmes grew which resulted in her obtaining a MPH. In 2013 she took a corporate sabbatical and went to Shenzhen, China to work as an ESL Teacher. On her return in June 2014 she joined FPD as a Junior Project Manager and worked in the Integrated Health Systems Strengthening (IHSS) department, then as a QA Manager on the Community Based Counselling & Testing (CBCT) project from Nov 2015 – Sep 2016. Ms Born holds a BSC BioChem & BioTech as well as a BSc (Hons) BioTech from the University of the Witwatersrand which were obtained in 2005 and 2006 respectively and MPH (Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria in 2012.

Ms Alexandra Mumbauer is currently the Strategic Information Expert for the National HIV Think Tank. She has international experience in basic science, human subject’s research, project management, and monitoring and evaluation. Previously, she was a Senior M&E Advisor for the Communities Forward programme and a Researcher in the Research Unit at FPD. Ms Mumbauer holds a Master in Public Health degree in Epidemiology with a Certificate in Global Health from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Wesleyan University.

Ms Zimasa Sobuza is currently the Project Coordinator for the National HIV Think Tank. She has a strong commercial background and over 05 years of working experience in different roles within various sectors and abroad. These sectors entail: Financial Services, Education, Business Consulting and Public Health in Finance Controller Intern, Educator, Business Consulting and Project Coordination roles. Previously, she completed a PEPFAR Fellowship programme at FPD placed in the Managing Director’s office and Light House Projects department. Ms Sobuza holds an International Management Masters from the University of Bologna and a Bachelor in Commerce degree from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Dr Yogan Pillay is the Deputy Director-General for Health in South Africa. He is responsible for policy making, guiding implementation, and monitoring of national programmes in HIV, TB and maternal, child and women's health. He is also currently facilitating the implementation of a national programme to re-engineer the primary health care system in South Africa. Dr. Pillay has contributed to a large number of journal articles including co-authorship of papers on financing of HIV and AIDS programmes and drug resistant TB. He is a co-author of the Textbook of International Health: Global health in a Dynamic World.

Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt is the founder and Managing Director of the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD).Previously, he served as South Africa’s first health attaché in Geneva, representing South Africa at the WHO, UNAIDS, UNESCO and other United Nations organisations. During this period he was elected as the Interim Chairman of the UNAIDS governing board. He founded FPD, under the South African Medical Association, on his return to South Africa. Dr Wolvaardt was involved in setting up The Placement Project, prior to the merger to create AHP. He has been involved at a strategic level in the organisation since then. Dr Wolvaardt holds a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine and MBChB from the University of Pretoria.

Dr Dave Clark is an executive director and board member of the Aurum Institute. He is strongly involved in the health programmes, corporate services and strategic leadership of the company. In addition to his PI role, his activities include oversight of the financial, human resource and data management services to support the work of the scientific and clinical departments. He was the Operations Executive for the hospitals and health services of the gold subsidiary of the Anglo American group up until 2004 before moving to Aurum. Dave is also a non-executive director of a number of other health NGOs in South Africa and a member of the Institute of Directors of SA. Dr. Clark qualified in medicine at Wits University in Johannesburg. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, as well as a Diploma in Health Services Management.

Dr David Allen is the Country Representative in South Africa for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He worked as a paediatrician in Washington D.C. before joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a 20 year career. At CDC, he worked in a variety of public health areas including infant mortality, homeless health, community health, epidemiology training and HIV/AIDS. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Dr Allen served as an advisor to the South African Department of Health, the Director of the CDC Global Aids Program for South Africa, the Regional Director of the Global Aids Program for Southern Africa and the Director of the Global Aids Program Caribbean Regional Office. Dr Allen has served on South Africa Partners’ Board of Directors since 2005. Dr Allen received his M.D. from New York University School of Medicine and his M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Dr. Ernest Darkoh is an internationally-known expert in strategic planning, systems and large-scale programme implementation. His recent work has focused on using new cutting-edge technologies, big data and analytics to radically improve healthcare delivery and catalyse broader development sector outcomes. Dr Darkoh has worked with governments, international normative organizations and the private sector across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and North America. Dr Darkoh was recently also recognized by New African Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Africans. He was elected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He was also named one of eighteen “Global Health Heroes” by TIME Magazine. Dr Darkoh served as the first operations manager of Botswana’s national antiretroviral program, currently regarded as one of the most successful long term programs in the world. Prior to Botswana, Dr Darkoh worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. Dr Darkoh earned his BS in Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his MPH from Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his MBA at the Said School of Business at Oxford University as a Fulbright Scholar.

Ms Bronwyn Pearce is currently serving as the Acting CEO at CCI. She has worked in the area of social and behavioural change communication for the past ten years. She has provided strategic leadership to several ground-breaking campaigns, including Scrutinize, Brothers for Life, Intersexions, 4Play: Sex tips for Girls and Zazi. She has extensive experience in management and capacity building of governments, NGO partners and CBOs at community level. Ms Pearce holds a Masters in Management Degree in the field of Public and Development management.

Dr. Melissa Briggs Hagen joined CDC-South Africa as Care & Treatment Branch Chief in June 2018. Previously Dr. Hagen served as CDC Care & Treatment Branch Chief in Mozambique where she supervised the HIV and TB treatment teams and oversaw PEPFAR implementing partners that supported HIV and TB services in more than 800 health facilities for ~75% of the PLHIV. From 2015-2018, she worked intensively with the Ministry of Health to expand quality ART services with a focus on implementation of Test and Start, differentiated service delivery models, and the introduction of Dolutegravir. Dr. Hagen joined the CDC and the US Public Health Service in 2011 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in the Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases. From 2013-2015 Dr. Hagen served as a medical officer in the Division of Global HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis providing TB/HIV related technical assistance to eight county/regional offices in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with an intensive focus on scale-up of TB infection control (IC) and isoniazid preventive therapy. She also utilized her expertise as one of the IC team leads deployed as part of the Ebola Response in Sierra Leone in late 2015. While in Atlanta, Dr. Hagen provided clinical care for pediatric HIV patients at Grady Hospital, as well as for uninsured patients at Good Samaritan Health Center. CDR Hagen is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She completed her medical training at the University of Pennsylvania, her Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and her Combined Residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Duke University. She has published on a range of topics including homelessness among pediatric populations, malaria management in the private and public sectors, and improving implementation of TB/HIV collaborative activities. She recently moved to South Africa with her husband and one-year-old son, Altarral.

Dr Gesine Meyer-Rath is a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Global Health and Development of the Boston University School of Public Health. She is a physician and health economist working on the economics of HIV and antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries. Her focus lies on modeling methods for economic evaluation, including infectious disease modeling and decision analysis, and translating research into recommendations for public policy. Before joining CGHD she has worked in the Pediatrics Department of Charité University Hospital Berlin, at the World Health Organization and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr Meyer-Rath is currently based in Johannesburg where she works at the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE2RO), a collaboration between Boston University and the University of the Witwatersrand. Dr Meyer-Rath holds a PhD in Health Economics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as well as a MD/PhD in Physiology from Free University Berlin.

Dr. Margot Uys has extensive experience and expertise in the strengthening of health systems over the last twenty years bridging the gap from private health care to public health care and focussing mostly in resource-poor and rural South Africa. Dr. Uys has also been involved in consultancy work for UNODC and the Trimbos Instituut based in The Netherlands in the development of and training in Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines for TB/HIV care in prisons in eleven sub-Saharan countries as well as leading the consultancy support to UNICEF in the review and evaluation of the PMTCT Mother and Child programme in South Africa in preparation for the validation exercise for the elimination of MTCT. She has also done consultancy work for GEMS (Government Employees Medical Scheme) as independent evaluator of medical aid submissions. As a project manager for Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) since 2006 in the that’sit programme, a PEPFAR-supported HIV programme with a TB focus, she was able to establish a network of TB and HIV integrated care sites in areas of extremes, overcoming a range of challenges across five provinces in South Africa. Since 2007 more than 200 clinics were receiving support through this project, a collaborative programme between the SA Medical Research Council (MRC), the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) and the various Provincial and District Departments of Health in South Africa. In her twenty years senior health care management experience, she has focused on streamlining systems and managing people. She is currently supervising and managing more than 500 employees directly or indirectly in the areas of TB, HIV, PMTCT, Community and pharmaceutical services, SCM, Laboratory and Research. This includes categories of staff ranging from senior health care managers and clinicians to community based health care workers.

Dr Andrea Knigge is a Senior Health Advisor, Programme Planer and Epidemiologist with 23 years of relevant working experience in planning, managing and evaluating large-scale development and health sector programmes. She devoted her work to strategically conceptualize and implement Health programmes focusing on communicable disease control (HIV/AIDS/STI/TB), supporting the formulation, implementation and evaluation of National Health Strategies and Health system Strengthening. She has an advisory role on matters of Human Capacity Development, Management Information Systems and shaping organisational change policies at institutional level in the health sector. Dr. Knigge led GIZ Health Country Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. At global level she promoted and facilitated as a Senior Advisor/Coordinator/Planer the public-private sector response to the HIV epidemic in South Africa for multilateral companies like DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, T-System and EADS, and worked for GTZ as a Regional Health Coordinator for SADC. In Bangladesh she introduced and initiated a.m. Occupational Health and Safety Programs in the shipbuilding industry whereas in Malawi she fostered the approach of industrial clustering for SMEs. Dr. Knigge earned her MD from the Justus-Liebig University in Germany and her MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr Themba Moeti is Chief Executive Officer at the Health Systems Trust. He previously served as Senior Policy Advisor at the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and as Managing Director of the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), a public/private development partnership between the Government of Botswana, Merck/The Merck Company Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that has provided support to Botswana’s national HIV and TB responses. Prior to joining ACHAP in 2006,Dr Moeti served as Deputy Permanent Secretary, Support Services at the Ministry of Health, Botswana, with responsibility for the Departments of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Health Sector Relations and Partnership. From 2001 to 2004 he served as Deputy Director Health Services. In these and other roles he has provided public health strategy and policy guidance at national level to HIV/AIDS, TB and communicable disease control and prevention efforts since the late 1990s, with a special interest in the linkages between health and development. He has co-authored several papers in the areas of TB and HIV and served on national and regional task forces in the areas of HIV/AIDS, TB and communicable disease prevention. Dr Moeti holds degrees in medicine and a postgraduate degree in public health from the University of London.

Dr Ashraf Grimwood started his HIV work in Australia during the late 80’s, and continued in South Africa from 1992. He has extensive HIV clinical experience with a community health focus in both the public and private sectors. Dr Grimwood was chair of NACOSA and previously served on the boards of Yabonga and Triangle projects. He served on the SA HIV Clinicians Society the Centre for Conflict Resolution Boards and is a board member of Dira Sengwe. He was previously Executive Director of ARK SA, Deputy Director of SAHIVAC as well as Director of the HIV Research Unit – Secure the Future.

Dr Thato Chidarikire is currently the director for HIV Prevention Programmes in the National Department of Health. She's been with the department for almost 10 years with vast experience in HIV prevention programmes and molecular Biology. She has also worked within the public sector and academic field including Clinical trials in HIV, Dr Chidarikire holds a PHD degree in Virology from Wits University. She currently co-chairs the Prevention working teams for PFIP as well as for the National HIV Think Tank.

Dr Peter Barron is a public health specialist with over 30 years’ experience working in primary healthcare with a special interest in health information management. Dr Barron became a manager in what is now the Cape Town City Council where he was the manager responsible for health services in Khayelitsha. In 1994 he was seconded to the Northern Cape and became the acting Head of the Strategic Management team. He also worked for Health Systems Trust (HST) for 14 years, initially as a research manager, and later became the manager for strengthening district health systems. Following HST he worked as a short term consultant working on projects in South Africa, as well as in a number of African countries, India and Nepal. At the end of 2009, he became a technical assistant in the NDoH and has been there ever since. Dr Barron has worked closely with the Deputy Director-General responsible for HIV, TB and Maternal, Woman’s and Child Health. The main role of the NDoH is to set policy and to monitor the implementation and I provide support in these areas. Dr Peter Barron trained as a medical doctor and practiced clinical medicine mainly in rural areas in the now Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga and specialised in Public Health at Wits University.

Prof Wendy Stevens is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology at the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) (2003-current), the largest haematology department in South Africa. Her research efforts since qualification focused largely in the HIV research arena over a period of 15 years, complemented by tuberculosis research since 2010. This can be supported by numerous peer reviewed publications and conference presentations. Dr Stevens believes she has contributed significantly to the development of capacity for affordable, accessible HIV diagnosis and monitoring in South Africa and at over 60 centers in sub-Saharan Africa. Research activities have included the expansion of early infant diagnosis of HIV, affordable viral load, CD4 and investigation of HIV drug resistance. She received an award from the National Department of Science and Technology for her contribution to the development of laboratory capacity in Southern Africa (2006) and an award from the University of the Witwatersrand for significant contributions to research (2013). Dr Stevens has been an advisor to and investigator for the following HIV research networks: the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI; New York), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN; NIH funded, Seattle), the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG; NIH funded), the Microbicide Development Program (UK based funding). In addition, she had an investigator status for a number of international grant funded projects, including the CIPRA (NIH: IU19 AI53217-01) project in collaboration with Professor McIntyre and team at the University of the Witwatersrand. Other funders of her research have more recently included: the Netherlands AIDS fund, Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada Global Fund, CDC and USAID. I have served as a consultant for the World Health Organization (Geneva), CDC (Atlanta) and NIH (Bethesda, USA) on a number of different working groups. Dr Stevens also serves on review committees for UNITAID (WHO), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges. Since November 2010, she had undertaken a role and have been appointed head of National Priority Programs at the National Health focusing on laboratory efforts related to priority diseases that currently include HIV, TB and Cervical Cancer. Her current portfolio includes the National Rollout of GeneXpert technology across tuberculosis microscopy centers in South Africa. This program is the first in the world to implement GeneXpert on a National scale, and such her team has become world leaders. Dr Stevens’ experience in HIV, TB and cancer laboratory medicine in South Africa is also evident in her many contributions to policy recommendations to the National Department of health and the NHLS in South Africa and international bodies like the WHO for CD4, HIV viral load and EID and more recently to the place for point of care testing.

Mr Pholokgolo Ramothwala is the director and founder of a Non-profit organisation Positive Convention Network– a network for professionals living with HIV. He is a journalist by profession and he has been living openly with HIV for the past 20 years. He is also the founder and editor of South Africa’s only magazine for people living with HIV called Positive Magazine. He was recently appointed to be a board member of South African National AIDS Council’s board of trustees. His work experience in the field of HIV focused on workplace wellness, Positive Living and Stigma Mitigation for people living with HIV. He has trained and advised organisations like Anglo Coal, Kumba Iron, University of Johannesburg, South African Police Services, Shell – SA, International Labour Organisation, Soul City and more on the wellness and peer educator programmes. He served in several boards including Agri-AIDS, the Human Science Research Council’s House Hold HIV/AIDS survey and Department of Health’s Positive Health Dignity and prevention policy guideline task team.

Professor Ian Matthias Sanne is a South African born infectious diseases doctor who has been involved in HIV and TB research since qualifying as internist in 1996. Since 2003 he has led the Wits HIV Research Group Clinical Trials Unit, and from 2003-2012 led the Adult Treatment Research Site. His current leadership role in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group is as the International Vice-Chair, in which he is responsible for overseeing the network’s research at 25 international sites in 13 countries and assisting in the prioritization of the scientific agenda. The focus of his research attention is an integrated program of HIV and TB research from prospective phase I-IV clinical trials, conducted predominantly through international collaborations with the NIH, EDCTP, Global TB Alliance and the Medical Research Council of South Africa. At the intersection of clinical care, and clinical trial administration, he will continue to provide administrative expertise to the ACTG leadership from his experience as the founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Right to Care.

Mr Anthony Diesel has over 30 years work experience in the South African health sector. He worked in a number of clinical nursing fields, including Medical, Surgical, Occupational Health and Psychiatric care. He also worked for the Democratic Nursing Organization of South Africa (DENOSA) as provincial manager for the Eastern Cape for 10 years from 1991 – 2001, where he led the organization in that province through the period of change that was required to be part of the “new South Africa”. He has been working in the HIV and public health environment from the early 2000’s. Mr Diesel joined South Africa Partners in 2010. SA Partners have a number of programmes operating in the health and education sectors. Mr Diesel qualified as a Registered General and Psychiatric Nurse in 1985/6 and has completed numerous courses to supplement that initial qualification, amongst others a B.A. Curationis in Administration and Education, a HR Diploma and an MBA.

Dr Tim Tucker is a strategist and clinician-scientist in the SA health and research sectors, with an academic and programmatic track record in HIV, hepatitis viruses, vaccines and public health programs in Africa and beyond. He founded his public health strategy business in 2005 (70 public health staff), after a career in clinical medicine; clinical and laboratory research; and leadership of South Africa’s largest R&D program, the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI). He owns “SEAD Consulting” –a public health consultancy dedicated to improving the health of poor communities through focused public health interventions. He has led the development of critical health strategies and interventions for public and private sector-funded activities. Dr Tucker has been a long standing honorary member of staff at UCT (Department of Pathology and School of Public Health and Family Medicine), where he lectures postgraduate students in the School of Public Health, the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine and the School of Management Studies. He is a Board member of the National Health Laboratory Service, the NHLS Research Trust, and the SA HIV Clinicians’ Society. He is a member of the US NIH AIDS Strategy Working Group. Dr Tucker is a specialist Clinical Virologist. He obtained a Ph.D. (UCT) in molecular virology. He has trained in business strategy (U. Witwatersrand).

Prof Harry Hausler is the Chief Executive Officer of TB/HIV Care Association. As such, Harry uses his wealth of experience and engagement in local, national and international decision-making health forums to provide strategic direction and oversight to the TB/HIV Care Association. [expand title="Read More..." swaptitle="Close"] Harry is a family physician, HIV clinician and preventive medicine specialist with 15 years of international public health experience in implementing and evaluating integrated tuberculosis and HIV programs. Harry has a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is an Associate Professor at the University of the Western Cape. Prior to working with TB/HIV Care Association he worked with the Global TB Programme of the World Health Organization in Geneva and as the National TB/HIV Technical Advisor in the South African Department of Health. He has also managed medical services in refugee camps in Rwanda, and conducted TB/HIV and PMTCT research in Haiti.

Dr Mbulawa Mugabe leads the department responsible for supporting scaling up of impactful and sustainable national AIDS responses through high-level country policy and advocacy, strategic programme guidance, partner coordination, alignment and harmonization of resources and technical support. Dr Mugabe joined UNAIDS in 2002 as the first UNAIDS Country Coordinator for South Africa where he served until 2008. He moved to the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa in 2009 and was appointed Deputy Regional Director in 2010. His work was instrumental in keeping AIDS on the political, health and development agenda in countries in the region most affected by the AIDS epidemic. Prior to joining UNAIDS, Dr Mugabe worked with UNICEF as head of the health programme in Botswana and head of the HIV unit in Uganda. During his service at UNICEF he helped to pioneer the implementation of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme in Botswana in 1999. Previously, Dr Mugabe worked at the University of Botswana National Institute of Research as a senior research fellow. He served in various capacities in the health sector in Botswana and the Southern Africa region, including as a chair of the Botswana National AIDS Committee – the forerunner to the National AIDS Council. He was a founding member of the EQUINET network. Dr Mugabe, a national of Botswana, has an MSc and a PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of London. He is the author of several academic articles and co-author of three books. In 1997 he became the first recipient of the Goran Starky Award for Child Health at the Institute of Child Health, Karolinska University in Sweden.

Mr Derek Sedlacek specialises in HIV Cure and Treatment, Health Systems, Strategic Information and USAID Operations. Currently, he is the Deputy Director of USAID South Africa Health Office. He served in the following positions: Health Systems and Strategic Information team Lead(USAID-SA), HIV Prevention Adviser(USAID-East Africa), Health Officer(USAID- Dominican Republic), Adolescent health/HIV/Human Right Specialist(WHO/PAHO). Mr Derek Sedlacek has a Bachelor of Science-Human Biology from the University Texas and a Master of Public Health-Infectious Diseases-John Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mr Steven Smith is the Health Attaché to South Africa and United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Representative for Southern Africa. The major HHS Operating Divisions with activities in Southern Africa include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mr. Smith has extensive overseas experience from his work with the United States Department of State in Cameroon, South Africa and Haiti. In Cameroon Mr. Smith was responsible for HIV programs, and in South Africa Mr. Smith was Coordinator for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief during its initial period of dramatic growth from 2004-2006. Mr. Smith served as Director of the Office of Global Research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral health research in over 100 countries worldwide, including significant programs in South Africa. In 2010, Mr. Smith served as Haiti Health Reconstruction Coordinator, with overall responsibility for managing the United States Government response to the Haiti cholera outbreak. From 2011-2013, Mr. Smith served as India Health Attaché and DHHS Regional Representative for South Asia, where he led the successful development of the U.S.-India Health Initiative supporting bi-lateral collaboration across a broad spectrum of health issues. Mr. Smith has additional experience working for the United Nations, and as a human rights lawyer in South Africa. Mr. Smith received a J.D. degree from Columbia University in New York and a B.A. from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Dr Brian Chirombo (formerly Pazvakavambwa) is highly self-motivated HIV/AIDS leader and expert with over 15 years professional experience in HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and research at country, regional and international levels. He is currently working as HIV and Hepatitis Technical Advisor for WHO South Africa. He has extensive experience in policy and programme development and implementation, including providing technical support in programme planning and implementation. His experience also includes supporting national and UN Joint Country Teams on HIV prevention, care and treatment programming, including on policies, strategies and plans, and also resource mobilization. He has experience in conducting and teaching epidemiological and operations research. He has broad partnership experience having been a member of various country UN Joint Team on HIV, including ESA Regional Joint UN Team on AIDS, and Inter Agency Working Groups on PMTCT, and having working closely with a number of global and regional partners, including PEPFAR, the Global Fund to fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria, The Africa Union, SADC, GiZ among others. He has a track record in interacting with donors at national, regional and global levels, and has mobilized and managed resources for the many organizations he has worked for over the years.

Dr. Francois Venter, MD, FCP is the Deputy Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand. He leads multiple antiretroviral treatment optimisation studies, and has an active interest in public sector access to HIV services. He is currently working on new first and second line antiretroviral options, patient linkage to care interventions, and self-testing projects. Previously, he lead large PEPFAR-funded HIV programmes in South Africa, including one that focused on truckers and sex workers. He has been represented on South African and regional guidelines for over a decade, having done almost all his training within South Africa.His major research currently focus on low dose stavudine, low dose darunavir in second line treatment, and combinations of newer drugs to improve the resistance and potency of first line, as well as using patient information to drive improved linkage to care after diagnosis.